When She Dances: A SciFi Alien Romance (A Risdaverse Tale)

by Ruby Dixon

  Zakoar leans over, glancing out the window. He hasn’t watched the sights like I have, his focus on his data pad as he runs portions of his business from afar. He’s so close to me I can smell the machine oil and musk scent that is uniquely him, and the urge to cry only grows greater. “Is it what you expected?” he asks.

  The knot in my throat is immense, but I manage a bright smile. “It is,” I admit. Risda is exactly what I thought it would be. “It’s beautiful.”

  He takes my hand in his, rubbing his thumb against my skin, and I fight to compose myself. By the time The Nebula Skimmer lands and a crew member arrives to tell us that they’re ready for us to disembark, I’m composed again. I clutch at Zakoar’s hand as he grabs my bag—just mine—and slings it over his shoulder, carrying it for me.

  I cling to him as we head down the ramp and the wind rips at my hair and my dress. Despite the pastoral views, the breeze is high and makes the entire landing pad shiver. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, hoping that the clean, unpolluted air will make me fall instantly in love with this place.

  One breath.

  Two.

  Three.

  Nope. Still want to leave.

  We check in with the port authorities, letting them retina scan and take handprints for their records. The moment we’re free, a woman approaches us, her cloak whipping about her frame. She’s human, with a beaming smile across her pretty face. “Are you Tessa?” she asks in a chirpy voice. “I’m Lucy, and I thought I’d be your welcoming committee as you get acquainted with Risda!”

  She sticks a hand out, all cheerfulness. Lucy is mixed race, with light brown skin, dark eyes, and thick black hair tied back in a braid. She’s curvy, with a bosom that would make any man do a double-take, and her simple clothing is cut to show off those assets. Best of all, she gives Zakoar a smile of greeting and then focuses back on me, excitement in her eyes. She’s not afraid of him or treating him like he’s a freakshow, and for that, I instantly adore her.

  I shake her hand. “Hi Lucy. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you two around town and then drive you out to your homestead. We’re going to be neighbors!” She moves to stand next to me, skirting a motorized crate that whizzes past. “Though I should warn you that the last tenant of that farm met an unfortunate ending. Property war.” She grimaces. “Kelcie was attacked by vagrants that tried to steal her farm and she killed two of them before the third got to her.” Lucy shakes her head. “She was a badass bitch, and I’ll miss her dearly.”

  “Vagrants?” I ask, a little alarmed.

  Zakoar looks even more worried than I am. “I was told this place was safe.”

  He looks like he’s ready to burn shit down at being lied to. I put a calming hand on his arm, soothing him. “Lucy’s just letting us know the bad stuff so we don’t hear it in town, right?”

  Lucy nods. “Exactly. That’s the reason why your claim is so close to town. It came open. Otherwise you’d be way out in the boonies with nothing but noli flowers.”

  I think I wouldn’t mind flowers.

  Zakoar puts a protective arm around my shoulders. “Tell me more about this attack. I brought Tessa here because it’s supposed to be safe.” He grits out each word as if he’s ready to lose his shit. “This does not sound safe.”

  “Each human refugee has been offered a farm, but for a while we had some corrupt authorities in charge.” Lucy’s tone becomes matter of fact, and she doesn’t cower at Zakoar’s anger. “Girls were murdered to get to their land, and the authorities wouldn’t do shit. Someone finally got the balls to complain to Lord va’Rin and he pulled some strings and had new officials sent. I’ve met them all—law-abiding mesakkah and very nice.” She puts a hand to the side of her mouth. “And cute, if you’re looking to get married.”

  Oh god. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at Lucy’s “helpful” advice, especially since Zakoar just looks even more irritated. “No husbands,” I tell her.

  “I don’t blame you,” Lucy says. “Most men are more trouble than they’re worth. Come on. I’ll show you around town.”

  20

  ZAKOAR

  The human called Lucy never stops talking. Ever.

  She's fascinating in the way that she has rich brown skin, big hips and thighs, and a chest that jiggles as she walks. Even more fascinating is that she never seems to pause for breath, this Lucy. She talks as she escorts us through town. She introduces us to person after person, most of which are human, and all of which stare at me with a hint of alarm in their eyes. Lucy talks as she brings us to the port authorities office and introduces us to the settlement custodians, two mesakkah males who look as if they are fresh out of training. Then, she drags us to the store, and the one cantina in this place. She brings us to her run-down sled, still talking about gossip and some local female that married a praxiian male. She talks as she pilots the air-sled (badly) out of the tiny settlement and into the farmlands surrounding Port.

  And then we come to what will be Tessa's home.

  I try not to show my dismay, as it's clear that Lucy thinks it's a fine home. The place is small, obviously mass-manufactured, and domed to regulate temperatures. The interior is dark and cramped, with a few windows and a tiny bedroom. Tessa smiles at the sight of it, her hand tight on mine as Lucy chatters and talks of food dispensers and morning sunlight.

  "Well?" Lucy says, turning her bright gaze upon us.

  Tessa looks at me.

  "Morning sunlight," I manage. "Very nice. You will like that, Tessa."

  She gives me a small smile. "I will."

  She is silent as Lucy bustles us out to look at the crop fields. She points out the boundary lines, comparing them to the property map we were given, and while the fields are overgrown right now, when the bots get to work, it will take no time for things to grow. The soil is good, the location prime. I think about Lucy's comments in regard to the female that lived here before and was murdered, and hold Tessa a little tighter to me. The males in charge back in Port seemed like law-abiding types, but they also seemed wet behind the ears. Between the two of them, not a single scar or prosthetic, which means they have not seen combat. I worry Tessa won't be safe…but this is what she wants. How can I ruin it for her?

  My dismay only grows when Lucy escorts us out to the barn. It's empty and everything is covered in a layer of grit from disuse. The barn is large, though, big enough to house several dozen meat-stock at once, and there are tube incubators and nursing units, at least, even if everything is currently empty and abandoned.

  Right in front, there's a dusty air-sled that looks as if it's older than I am. "Here's your vehicle," Lucy announces. She moves to tap a panel on the wall, and a storage unit descends from the ceiling, with several crop-bots lined up on a rack. "There's your bots. There's an instruction manual written in English back in the house," Lucy says, with a reluctant smile on her face. "Well, mostly English. You'll get the idea. And if you get stuck, you can always ask around. Someone's always willing to help."

  "I don't know anything about farming," Tessa admits.

  "Oh honey, none of us do." Lucy gives Tessa a sympathetic look. "We're all figuring it out together. Come here, let me show you the control panel."

  Tessa's hand slides from mine and I watch the two women as Lucy explains the complicated control panel that will release the bots and activate them. I can tell by a glance that the bots are completely out of date and rusted, to boot. They'll need to be serviced before they can help with any sorts of crops, and I'm sure Tessa won't know where to start.

  "Well, this is all great," Tessa says brightly, smiling at Lucy. "Thank you so much for showing us around."

  "Oh! Before I forget." Lucy fishes something out of her pocket and holds it out to Tessa. "Your cows."

  Tessa takes the small vial with a look of confusion on her face. "M-my cows?"

  "Yep! Well, they call them 'meat-stock' here and they've got no horns and four big eyes, but yeah. Your co
ws." Lucy tilts her head, indicating one of the built-in incubators. "That's enough DNA to start you a herd. You pop that bad boy into the machine and it'll walk you through how to start the cloning process."

  "Cloning process," Tessa repeats, still holding the vial.

  "I'm told it's cheaper than shipping actual cattle out to everyone," Lucy agrees with a grimace. "It's not ideal but you get used to it." Her smile brightens again. "Story of our lives, right? Just keep rolling with the punches."

  Tessa holds the vial tight against her chest. Her expression turns to one of tight determination. "Yup. Gonna keep rolling."

  Lucy clasps her hands in front of her. "Any other questions?" When Tessa shakes her head in silence, Lucy gives her another cheerful pat. "I'll come by in the morning with some fresh baked goods. That's how I channel my nervous energy—cooking." She slaps her ample hip. "Clearly been doing that a lot."

  "Baked goods sounds absolutely lovely. Thank you so much, Lucy. You've been so kind." Tessa seems emotional but manages to smile. She hugs Lucy, squeezing her tight, and they exchange goodbyes, with Lucy promising to return in the morning once Tessa is all “settled.”

  I let the females have their space, since I know this is the first human Tessa's had a chance to talk to in a while. They head out to the front of the barn to talk for a little bit, and as they do, I decide I can work on the crop bots. I hit the switch for the release…and it doesn't work. With a sigh, I pry off the face of the control panel and get to work. Lord va'Rin should be ashamed of the run-down equipment they've given these humans. No decent farmer would use a bot of this caliber. I'm guessing he acquired a lot of them for cheap and went for quantity over quality. I shouldn't be surprised. Quantity over quality is how the mesakkah government works, and why I do such a brisk underground business. Once I get the panel re-wired, I set to work on the bots, pulling each one out and looking over the damage. They're all terrible, but some are worse than others. I shake my head and get to work.

  Maybe an hour passes before I realize that Tessa has never returned to the barn, and I can no longer hear her and the female Lucy speaking outside. I set down the bot I'm working on and program it to run a diagnostic, then I wipe my hands free of oil and check outside the barn. No humans. Lucy's sled is gone, too.

  My skin prickles with alarm and I race toward the small, run-down house, an array of horrible thoughts running through my mind. Something's happened to Tessa. The vagrants that Lucy mentioned are back and have stolen both of them. While I wasn't watching, someone attacked my Tessa and—

  Inside, Tessa's seated on a chair near a window.

  21

  ZAKOAR

  I exhale slowly, relieved. My heart thunders in my chest and I've never felt such a spike of adrenaline. Kef me. I clench a fist. It's either that or lie flat on the floor, trying to calm myself. "I didn't know where you were." My words sound harsher than I intend. "I thought something had happened to you."

  "I'm fine." She looks up at me, a faint smile on her lips. "I'm always fine."

  She doesn't look fine, though. Her smile doesn't reach her eyes. Her lips tremble ever so slightly. She looks…lost.

  "Do you like your farm?" I ask. If she's happy, then I can be happy.

  "It's everything I thought it would be," Tessa says in a soft voice. She stares out the window. "Thank you for bringing me here."

  I hate her soft words of thanks. I hate them, because I don't want to hear them. I want her to hate it here, to demand that I take her back to the station until we find someplace better for her, someplace safer. I want to squeeze in a few more months of being with her, a few more nights of waking up with her by my side, reaching for me in her sleep.

  Selfish, greedy bastard that I am, I want to grab her, haul her over my shoulder, and march back to Port and to The Nebula Skimmer. Leave this planet behind and any agreement I made that I would bring her here. I brought her. I just never said I'd leave her here. Technically, it's the truth.

  But…I can't do that to Tessa. I want her happiness more than I want my own.

  Lamely, I gesture in the direction of the barn. "Your bots need a lot of work."

  "Okay." Her voice is faint, as if she's overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done here. I don't know how anyone expects one slight human female to handle a farm like this on her own, much less on an alien planet, but Lucy seemed happy enough.

  I hesitate. My initial plan was to drop Tessa off and leave quickly. Not because I don't want to be around her, but because I hope that it stings less if things are over with quickly. I can see that's not going to be the case, though. I'm not ready to leave. Not if she needs so much work done to her bots, and that's work I know how to do. Not when she needs an extra pair of hands to help her get started.

  I study her. Tessa's good at hiding her emotions, but something seems off. Normally I can tell when she's happy. She just radiates pleasure, and it's evident in her movements and the way she carries herself. Right now, she seems reserved, her demeanor almost defeated. She might be overwhelmed with everything there is to be done, and my heart aches for her. My fierce survivor. Does she forget how strong she is? If so, I need to remind her. "You'll figure this all out in no time," I reassure her. "You're clever and a hard worker."

  Her lips form a smile, but again, I get the impression that it's for my benefit. That something's still bothering her. She looks so lost and alone, seated there by the window, and it physically hurts me to see her like this. I move to her side, and when she tilts her face up to look at me, I stroke my fingers over her soft, smooth cheek. She reaches for my other hand, and her fingers are cold and clammy.

  "Would you like for me to stay tonight?" I ask, even though I know the crew of The Nebula Skimmer are waiting on me back at Port. Even though it'll be that much harder to leave her in the morning, after I've spent all day today with a rock in my gut at the thought of saying goodbye.

  Her face crumples and she clings to my hand. "You'd stay tonight?"

  "Of course." I caress her cheek, wiping away the tear that slides down her face. "And tomorrow, if you need me. However long it takes for you to feel comfortable."

  "Tonight," she agrees, her voice shaky. "Tomorrow…maybe forever?"

  I go still. Forever?

  Does she truly want that? Or is she just scared to be alone?

  Before I can answer her, she bursts into tears. Not quiet, stoic weeping, but loud, noisy tears that make her entire body shake. She clings to my hand, holding it to her face.

  "Tessa," I groan, dropping to my knees in front of her. "Don't cry, sweet one. I don't like to see you cry." I touch her constantly, wanting to grab her and haul her out of that stupid chair and into my arms. I want to hold her tight, but if I do, I'm worried I might never let her go again. "What is it that's making you so upset? Talk to me."

  She just keeps crying, her shoulders shaking as she presses my hand to her face. "Zakoar…"

  "If you want me to stay for a week to help you get set up, of course I will. You don't have to be afraid. I wouldn't leave you if you needed assistance. You know I wouldn't do that."

  "I don't want you to stay for a week," she weeps.

  My heart freezes in my chest. That's it, then. She doesn't want me around. She's crying for some other reason--

  "I want you to stay forever," Tessa wails, and then breaks into a fresh round of tears. She drags my hand to her breasts, clinging to it, and rubs her wet face against my arm. "I know this agreement between us was supposed to be temporary and I'm so sorry. I know you don't want a slave—"

  "Tessa." It feels as if my heart is starting again. Warmth rushes through me. Her tears are for me. For us. In this moment, I could conquer galaxies. "Love—"

  "You hate slavery," she continues, miserable. "And I don't want to be a slave, but I don't want you to leave, either. I know we're supposed to just go our separate ways but—"

  "Tessa—"

  "I liked being at your office with you. I liked being around you all day. I love
assisting you, or even just waking up with you there at my side. I don't even mind Three Nebulas Station because I get to be around you. I'm happiest when I'm with you, and I know that isn't what you want. I've tried so hard to be strong, and I'm sure I'll adjust to being here. It's just that—"

  "Tessa," I try again, and when she shakes her head, I say louder, "Female."

  She lifts her head, indignant. "You know my name, you ass."

  "I do. Now will you listen to me instead of crying all over my circuits?"

  The look she gives me is less tearful, at least. "I'm trying to tell you how miserable I am and that I love you!"

  "You're miserable because you love me?"

  "No! That's not what I said!" She looks flustered, swiping at her wet face even as she releases my hand. "I'm miserable." She pauses for dramatic effect. "I love you. I know you don't want that, and—"

  I take her by the arms and nudge her to her feet. She stands, a confused look on her face. I immediately lift her up, just as I imagined, and sling her over my shoulder.

  "Zakoar!" She sputters, her hand tapping at my back. "What are you doing?"

  "Taking you to bed," I answer, feeling light as air. "So I can show you how much I love you."

  She trembles, and I feel every bit of it. "You love me?"

  "That's what I was trying to tell you, female, but you wouldn't let me get a word in. So now I'm going to have to show you." I step into the bedroom and glare at the small, rickety bed. "I think we're going to break this thing."

  Tessa taps on my shoulder again. "Go back a bit. Tell me again that you love me? Do you really?"

  I bend over and set her gently on the bed. "I love you," I admit, looking her in the eye. "I'm sure this is the part where I tell you that you can do much better than me, but we both know that already. I'm certainly not going to bring it up now, because I don't want you to decide that you don't need me nearly as much as I need you. Not now." I look her over, memorizing her soft skin, her curves, the way she looks up at me as if I'm the best thing she's ever seen. "I love you. The only reason that you're here on this planet is because I realized I was being selfish in keeping you and I wanted you to be happy. I had no idea you didn't want to come here."